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Friday, July 7, 2017

7 July - Blogs I'm Following 2 of 2

The background for the compilation series is provided in the first post along with my starting point analyzing temperature records. See Climate Compilation Part I Temperatures Compilation II Arctic Sea Ice (link to category) Another preoccupation has been the fluctuating Arctic Sea Ice extents. I noticed that warmists were quite focused on this issue, […]

[image: undefined] After the in-your-face Fourth of July “gift” that North Korea delivered to President Trump in the form of an intercontinental ballistic missile test, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see President Trump and the Pentagon retaliate by bombing North Korea. The reason goes not only to Trump’s erratic behavior, especially when teased or taunted, but also because a bombing attack would reflect the Cold War mentality that unfortunately still holds the Pentagon in its grip. I’ll bet that most Americans today do not realize that during the Kennedy administration, the Joi...more »

*People's Republic of Kalifornia* I've had an education on the CALEXIT (pay attention Old NFO). As I mentioned, I sold the CA house to people who wanted to live near the newly constructed giant mosque-down-the-street. The plan was to move to AZ, rent in the Phoenix Valley while Emilie went to college in AZ and then move to the White Wolf Mine in the mountains when it was finished. Without belaboring the issue, I learned that there were five 'fugitives' from California trying to rent every house that came on the market in AZ. It's insane. Apparently the sales market is equally nuts. ...more »

*Source: Planeta UFO and OVNI TucumánDate: 07/07/2017* *Argentina: Follow-Up on the Coronel Fernandez Incident (Cuchi Corral, Santiago del Estero)* Nearly two years have elapsed since our investigation in [the town] of Coronel Fernandez, better known as Cuchi Corral, in Santiago del Estero. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=174151062930007&set=pcb.174151726263274&type=3. Areas of intense magnetic force that caused automobiles to lose power, lights of various colors and other paranormal phenomena were described by the witness at the time (Pedro). Having made all the corresp...more »

*CBS:* *What are the non-military options in North Korea?* North Korea's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the Fourth of July is forcing the Trump administration to more seriously consider options for addressing the aggressive regime, as the president meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Germany this week. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council said North Korea is "quickly closing off the possibility of a diplomatic solution," U.S. military action is an option, and the U.S. ...more »

The fighting in west Mosul was down to the last five neighborhoods and areas. Bab al-Tob, which was declared freedyesterday, was now cut off and surrounded. It is one of the southern entrances to the Old City district. The other areas still under Islamic State control were all along the Tigris River. That included Qurnish, Shahwan, NajafiStreet, and Maidan. There were a few reportsthat claimed the entire city was freed, but that seemed to be propaganda. Various military and political leaders said that July 6 was the day victory was to be declared in the campaign, but that appeared ...more »

*Warfare History Network* *History, Asia* Efforts to reach peace accords—and the expectation of one decisive battle—actually put Japan on a collision course to war with the United States. Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, strike leader for Operation Hawaii and 20-year veteran of the Imperial Japanese Navy (Kaigun), strapped himself into the observer’s seat as his Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” torpedo bomber, piloted by Lieutenant Mitsuo Matsuzaki, and lifted off from the carrier Akagi on the black morning of December 7, 1941. The top secret mission, he had been told, was to strike a crippling bl...more »

*Warfare History Network* *History, Europe* A former sailor recalls his ship’s participation in one of the most momentous events of World War II, from Pearl Harbor, to Normandy, to Iwo Jima. I am of Polish, Irish, and American Indian descent and grew up in the small (population 3,800) northern Illinois town of Geneva. After graduating from high school at age 17 (the only one of six siblings in my family to do so), several of us 17- and 18-year-old kids went down to the recruiting substation in Aurora, Illinois, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. It was Thanksgiving Day, November 28,...more »

*Warfare History Network* *History, Asia* The massive Chinese offensive in 1951 aimed to destroy the U.S. Eighth Army and drive it from the Korean Peninsula. By mid-April 1951, the war in Korea was nearly 10 months old. United Nations forces had suffered a reversal of fortunes in late 1950 with the entry of Communist China into the war, losing the South Korean capital of Seoul but later regaining it. Now the U.S. Eighth Army, a multinational force that was dominated by American leadership and troops, found itself engaged in limited offensive operations near the 38th Parallel in t...more »

Men who worry that women may not make the right decisions during a menstrual cycle, and women who claim biology is a valid excuse for being a jerk, you're both out of luck. An examination of three aspects of cognition across two menstrual cycles found that the levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone had no impact on working memory, cognitive bias or ability to pay attention to two things at once. While some hormones were associated with changes across one cycle in some of the women taking part, these effects didn't repeat in the following cycle. Overall, none of the horm...more »

*NBC: **Trump And Putin Share First Handshake at Germany G-20* HAMBURG, Germany — After months of questions about their relationship, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared their first handshake at the G-20 summit Friday. Meanwhile, protests at the annual event caused problems for First Lady Melania Trump. Her spokeswoman said she was unable to leave her residence because it had not been cleared by local police. "It's unfortunate," said her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham. The handshake between Trump and Putin comes ahead of their highly-anticipated me...more »

Courtesy of the New York Daily News: *Conservative activist Sarah Palin won’t be attending the first court proceeding in her defamation case against The New York Times, according to her lawyer. * *The former vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor filed a lawsuit on June 27 alleging The Times ran a “fabricated story.” The initial conference in the case is set for 11 a.m. Friday. * *Asked Thursday whether Palin will be in the courtroom, her lawyer, S. Preston Ricardo, replied “No” in an email to the Daily News.* "Conservative activist?" Well I guess that sounds better than...more »

By Doug Martin Along with several other outside people and groups, Matchbook Learning’s Sajan George and his chief school officer, Amy Swann, have been picked as 2017 fellows for the Mind Trust Innovation Schools program. IPS’ supt. Lewis Ferebee and the IPS board helped choose these Mind Trust fellows, and two of them are planning new high schools (KIPP and the Purdue Polytech High School), even as the district is closing its own high schools. Mind Trust fellows can launch new charter schools, take over IPS schools, and partner with IPS itself. According to *Chalkbeat Indian...more »

By Dr. Mercola With each satisfying crunch, broccoli delivers great-tasting nutrition and a slew of health-promoting benefits. It is low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. Broccoli also contains fiber, which is vital to your digestive health. As one of the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is a close relative of Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and

Your morning routine sets the tone for your whole day, preparing you for everything that is to follow. While some people are naturally morning people, others struggle with the idea of getting up and moving, hitting the ‘snooze’ button as many time as they are able to get away with. RELATED ARTICLES: Study: Mindfulness Therapies

Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have developed a paint which generates hydrogen fuel from moist air and sunlight. The technology may be ready for commercial use in five years. RELATED ARTICLES: The Solar Powered Cooker that Stores the Sun’s Energy for Fuel-Free Grilling Every Night Tesla’s Elon Musk Says His Smart Solar

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:00 P.M.) – Pro-Saleh forces (likely Republican Guard) of the Yemen Army and allied national militias have conducted a live fire military exercise at a undisclosed location in Yemen. The maneuver was codenamed ‘Continuing to Counter US Terrorism’ and appears to be as much of a political statement as it is a military […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

(TASS) The US’ refusal to visit the Shayrat Airbase, which Washington claims was used by the Syrian government to launch the April 4 chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun, calls to mind alarming thoughts about the reasons behind the denial, a senior Russian diplomat said. The Russian Foreign Ministry’s Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:35 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their large-scale offensive in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, Thursday, striking the jihadist rebel defenses inside Jobar and ‘Ayn Tarma. Led by the 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard, the Syrian Arab Army managed to capture a dozen building blocks and several trenches near […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

(TASS) The report by the OPCW fact-finding mission on Syria ignored the probability that the Khan Shaykhun chemical incident could be staged, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Mikhail Ulyanov has said. A transcript of Wednesday’s briefing in Moscow for accredited representatives from the OPCW Executive Council and the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:18 P.M.) – Two unknown assailants have assassinated Khaled Mahmoud Auziyah, a military commander of the Jaysh Asoud Al-Sharqiyah militant group, in the city of al-Dumayr. The assassins carried-out their attack in public, opening up fire on the rebel commander, killing him instantly and fleeing the scene before being caught or identified. Jaysh […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:00 P.M.) – A Syrian government source informed Al-Masdar News on Friday that negotiations are taking place regarding the possible transfer of power of the Afrin Canton to the Syrian security forces. Part of the deal will allow the Syrian security forces to open a headquarters in the Afrin Canton, as they currently […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:50 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) struck back against the Islamic State (ISIL) in the eastern countryside of Homs, today, after repelling a major assault earlier in the day. Units from the Syrian Arab Army’s 18th Tank Division, with help from the National Defense Forces (NDF), chipped away at the Islamic […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

We are so used to the majesty and fearsome nature of the animal kingdom that we often forget they can also be side-splittingly funny. Thankfully the annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards acts as a constant reminder that, despite our differences, animals can be just as awkward as we are. This year's nominated photos include an enlightened kangaroo 'practicing Kung Fu' in the Australian outback, a young elephant seal's reaction to what one can only assume is some delicious gossip - and a cheeky fox desecrating a golf green. In one of the most beautifully timed shots, a giraffe ...more »

Assorted content to end your week. - Naomi Klein highlights how capital and power combine to turn disasters into profit-making opportunities - while noting that the Trump presidency is just such a disaster. And Linda McQuaig discusses why we should see the income tax and other collective funding mechanisms as an important step in nation-building. - Don Pittis writes that a focus on raw job numbers misses the important question as to whether any particular job is actually livable. And Jason Moyer-Lee points out that many of the attempts to avoid employment regulations through "gig" ...more »

FSUE 'NAMI' *Sputnik:* *A Closer Look at President Putin's New Russian-Made Presidential Limousine* President Vladimir Putin has familiarized himself with the Russian-made limousine, part of the 'Cortege' project, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov has confirmed. The brand new series of official vehicles is expected to be released in time for the inauguration following next year's presidential elections. Speaking to Russia's Izvestia newspaper, the minister said that the president had personally tested out the new vehicle, and that he was left satisfied with the state ...more »

(REUTERS/Lucas Jackson) *Kenneth T. Walsh, US News and World Report*: *Solidarity in the Fourth Estate* *President Donald Trump's attacks are helping to unite journalists.* It's rare for journalists to join forces. Usually they are too competitive, independent and stubborn for that. But President Donald Trump's unrelenting war against what he calls the "fake" news media is generating a new solidarity in the Fourth Estate. Instead of causing reporters and editors to knuckle under, Trump's attempts at intimidation are generating the biggest anti-Trump media backlash since he took of...more »

As the scheduled summit on Friday between Presidents Trump and Putin draws near, there is great potential for a breakout from the British-orchestrated drive to sabotage cooperation between Russia and the United States. Yet, as Helga Zepp-LaRouche warned today, this is no time for complacency — "Everything can fall into place, or could fall apart." The North Korean situation is being driven to the brink and blamed on China, while the British are manufacturing fake-news of a chemical attack in Syria and blaming it on Russia. The issue of war or peace is immediately before us. The Br...more »

*Another excellent interview provided to us all from Tim Kelly @ Our Interesting Times.* *Our Interesting Times is linked, always, in the sidebar of this blog. * *I like Tim Kelly's interview style.* *"**Guido Giacomo Preparata joins Our Interesting Times to discuss his book Conjuring Hitler: How Britain and America made the Third Reich. We talk about how Great Britain fomented two world wars to prevent an alliance forming between Germany and Russia and how the rise of National Socialism in Germany was not an aberration or accident of history but the result of Anglo-American financia...more »

*Jerusalem Post*: *Linda Sarsour calls for 'jihad' against American government* "Do not criticize me when I say that we as a Muslim community in these United States of America have to be perpetually outraged." In a largely self-congratulatory speech to the Annual Islamic Society of North American (ISNA) this past weekend, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour called for the "best form" of jihad against the current American administration. "A word of truth in front of a tyrant ruler or leader, that is the best form of jihad," Sarsour declared. "And I hope that we, when we st...more »

By Paul Homewood h/t Philip Bratby Tesla to build world’s largest lithium ion battery in Australia, reports the BBC. An Australian state will install the world’s largest lithium ion battery in a “historic” deal with electric car firm Tesla and energy company Neoen. The battery will protect South Australia from the kind […]

According to his latest FEC filing at the end of March, Paul Ryan has already spent $2,586,047 this cycle and has a campaign archest of $9,399,416. Last cycle he spent $13,393,345-- against a vanity candidate the Democratic Party ignored and who spent a grand total of $16,890-- far less than the crackpot Trumpist, Paul Nehlen, who primaried Ryan from the right and spent $1,402,877. Nehlen appears to be running against Ryan again-- but this cycle the Democrats-- despite the DCCC-- have a real candidate to run against Ryan, an iron worker and union/vets activist who raised half a mi...more »

Mitch McConnell seems to be acknowledging the likelihood of defeat: A bill focused on buttressing the nation’s insurance marketplaces will be needed if the full-fledged Republican effort to repeal much of President Barack Obama’s health care law fails, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday.... The remarks by McConnell, R-Ky., also implicitly meant that to show progress on health care, Republicans controlling the White House and Congress might have to negotiate with Democrats. While the current, wide-ranging GOP health care bill — which McConnell is still hoping to pus...more »

After Tina Wenz was found guilty of scientific misconduct, how long did it take for journals to retract the problematic papers? The answer: Between three and nine months. In September 2016, the University of Cologne found that Wenz had committed scientific misconduct in six papers and requested they all be retracted. From that point on, […] The post The retraction countdown: How quickly do journals pull papers? appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Michael Harris has written a must read column on the importance of journalism -- real journalism. That kind of journalism is a group project: It takes an invisible team coming together that the public never sees. It takes a reporter, or a team of reporters. It takes astute researchers. It takes relentless, meticulous editors. It takes lawyers poring over every word for legal pitfalls. And it takes publishers and editors-in-chief willing first to pay for it all, and then to risk the farm to publish it. Why? Because they believe in the motive, method and merit of what their teams pr...more »

Courtesy of Politico: *President Donald Trump won office on promises to shake up how Washington works, and so far that’s been most apparent in his own West Wing, where his top advisers have built up personal staffs to support their own agendas instead of using a traditional White House policy and messaging operation. * *Chief strategist Steve Bannon has two special assistants, a deputy assistant, an executive assistant and a body man working in his “war room” — plus his external press hand, something his predecessors under President Barack Obama, David Axelrod and David Plouffe, ne...more »

*"Putin Is Right About Our Democracy”* by Bill Bonner ‘*Oliver Stone:* Donald Trump won. This is your fourth president, am I right? Clinton, Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama, and now your fourth one. *‘Vladimir Putin:* Yes, that’s true. *‘Stone:* What changes? *‘Putin:* Well, almost nothing. Everywhere, especially in the United States, the bureaucracy is very strong. And bureaucracy rules the world.’ – "The Putin Interviews" "We came back to France in time for a wedding. It was a marvelous ceremony, held in a 12th-century church, followed by a reception in an ancient chateau nearby. What impresse...more »

President Trump's Warsaw speech, laden with apocalyptic "Clash of Civilisations" rhetoric and pandering of Polish nationalism, will not only worsen Poland's already difficult relations with Germany and Russia, but threatens a further deterioration in the international situation. The post Donald Trump’s highly disturbing Warsaw speech appeared first on The Duran.

The Chinese President and Indian Prime Minister exchanged warm words at a BRICS sideline meeting of the G20. This comes as China blasts the US for violating the airspace over the South China Sea. The post G20: Putin-Trump handshake, lots of Trump Tweets and China blasting the US appeared first on The Duran.

A study by the U.S. Department of Transportation clearly shows the sad state of America's ground transportation infrastructure. In its latest update, the DOT's Conditions and Performance report to Congress provides some interesting statistics that shows where Washington needs to spend money to ensure the safety of the travelling public. In this posting, we will look at the condition of America's inventory of roads, bridges and transit systems including rail and bus. Let's start by looking at the condition of America's roads and bridges, key complements of infrastructure that many ...more »

In a case that has the management-side bar moaning and groaning, the 9th Circuit held that an attorney who set up an ICE deportation sting against a client's former employee could be held personally liable for retaliation. As if it weren't bad enough that this attorney represented an employer that used the employee's immigration status to bully them into staying with the company, then failed to pay wages due, this attorney then had the former employee, a milker for a dairy, deported. Indeed, he bragged that it is his practice to have employees who sue his clients deported: Here's wh...more »

From Jenna Orkin Trump's disdain for CNN reportedly seen as 'wild card' amid pending $85 billion Time Warner-AT&T merger It's the latter part of this news that's of interest, beginning with the word "pending." Animated map reveals the 113,000 miles of cable that power America's internet Britain has opened its first prison wing to stop terrorists radicalising other inmates China wants to build a 'forest city' to tackle air pollution – here's how it could look How 'bout not chopping them down in the first place? Louisiana is the first state to prohibit public universities from as...more »

*This mailbox is so dull, there is just no way to take a good picture of it.* Johnson Chen, 42, of Taichung city was out for a stroll this weekend when he accidentally stumbled across the only boring mailbox in Taiwan. "I read in the newspaper about our many interesting mailboxes," Chen told *The View*, "like the Wind Lion mailbox in Kinmen, this cat shaped mailbox, this Seediq flavored mailbox, this mailbox-shaped post office, a lantern shaped mailbox, a Saisiyat flavored mailbox in Miaoli, this golden mailbox, and this indigenous symbol-decorated mailbox in Pingtung." "I didn't ...more »

By John Stone (Traduzione di GM) John Stone wrote about the ascent (la scalata) of Glaxo on June 21st of this year. Below is an Italian translation that we hope will find its way across the pond to our friends...

We invite you to watch Del Bigtree dissect and decimate John Oliver's vulgar and vicious tirade about vaccination choice. The embed code is disabled, so please follow THIS LINK. Thank you. High Wire with Del Bigtree

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 P.M.) – The Egyptian Army was involved in a fierce battle with a group of terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula, Friday, resulting in a large death toll for all parties involved. The fighting began after two terrorists attempted to blow themselves up at a military checkpoint south of Rafah. While the attempted […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:35 P.M.) – After destroying a forward headquarters used by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Raqqa with a car bomb two days ago, the ISIS terrorist group has hurled yet another vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) at Kurdish forces fighting for control of the city. At the present time, who the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:05 P.M.) – The Islamic State (ISIL) launched another offensive in the Deir Ezzor Governorate this week, targeting the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) defenses near the Panorama Roundabout. ISIL began the assault by storming the Syrian Army’s positions east of the Panorama School; this would result in a series of intense clashes this […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:10 A.M.) – With word of a new offensive operation by the Tiger Forces aimed at capturing the oil rich town of al-Sukhnah in far-eastern Homs Governonate confirmed, there are now reports that the 124th Brigade of the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) Republican Guard will also partake in this very same operation. The […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:30 A.M.) – The Islamist rebels of Jaysh Al-Islam launched another attack against their former allies from Faylaq Al-Rahman and Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham in the East Ghouta region of rural Damascus. Jaysh Al-Islam began the attack inside the farms of Al-Ash’ari, striking their former allies at the southeastern axis of this territory. While […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

(TASS) The US policy towards Syria has become more aggressive with the advent of the Trump administration, Boris Dolgov, a Senior Research Fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, said at a roundtable discussion dedicated to the fifth round of the intra-Syrian talks in Astana. “The main objective of […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

That's fake news. Courtesy of CBS News: *Nearly three-in-five Americans disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president, according to new survey data. * *Fifty-seven percent of Americans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published Wednesday said they disapprove of the president's job performance, while only 38 percent said they approve. * *A Gallup poll released Tuesday reported similar findings: 57 percent of Americans gave Mr. Trump the thumbs-down, while 37 percent gave him the thumbs-up.* *The president's numbers were slightly better -- but still underwater -- in an Economist...more »

[image: IMG-20170628-WA0008] *The east coast at Shiti fishing port. This is where things begin to become very beautiful.* On ICRT tonight at ~8:15 for Taiwan This Week, hosted by Gavin Phipps, who is amazing. Guests are myself and the redoubtable Klaus Bardenhagen, always a pleasure. There is also a ten minute segment with J Michael Cole, who has some interesting observations on the arms sale. Link to the podcast. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of ...more »

*A woman catches some Zs at the train station, putting her fan over her face.* Longtime US gov't Taiwan expert Shirley Kan wrote in the recent Global Taiwan Institute Brief on the US arms sales. The whole piece is good, but I thought this was interesting.... The State Department did not brief or notify Congress of the pending arms sales until late June. On June 15, Chairman Ed Royce of the House Foreign Affairs Committee expressed concern about successive administrations’ delays in arms sales notifications for Taiwan, which have needlessly dragged out the arms sales process. He ho...more »

○ "To be sure, you would like to live in a world where people in white hats bring people in black hats to justice, but you don't.Don't let this discourage you, though. You can accept that life is unfair and still relish it. You aren't in total control of your life, but there is a nice big chunk of your life over which you have complete authority - beat that part to a pulp. Just remember the unfair nature of the world, the randomness of birthright, means people often suffer adversity and enjoy opulence through no effort of their own. If you think the world is just and fair, people wh...more »

*"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”* by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” is, as the title suggests, a simple story of one day in the life of Ivan Shukov Denisovich, a prisoner in a Soviet concentration camp. Shukov, a simple Russian peasant fighting for Stalin in WWII, is imprisoned for treason - a crime he did not commit - and has spent the last 8 years in concentration camps. Shukov’s day begins at 5.00 a.m. with the clang of the reveille - he is, along with the other prisoners, marched out into the bitter cold, stripped and searched for forbi...more »

*"Freedom Is Not Necessarily The Absence Of Tyranny"* by Brandon Smith "Is it true that freedom is an overly idealized concept? Perhaps, but it is one of the few concepts worthy of idealization. It is so worthy, that it is worth dying for. Since the dawn of recorded history human beings have fought and sacrificed to attain freedom. It is an inherent psychological construct. It is a principle that is rooted not only in the mind of man, but his spirit or soul. Scientists in the realm of the mind have struggled for generations to understand where it comes from - others have sought to ...more »

It is always nice to learn that a new hadron is discovered - this broadens our understanding of the extremely complicated fabric of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of strong interactions that govern nuclear matter and are responsible for its stability. Hadrons are particles formed by quarks and gluons. Thus, they are not "elementary" in the strict sense of the word: that adjective can only be used for quarks and gluons themselves, along with leptons and gauge bosons. Of course, this is only our present understanding of the fundamental building blocks of the universe: it is ...more »

*You may have heard that whenever the title is a question, the author's answer to the question is No.* Well, it's mostly the case here but I actually think that if you statistically evaluated TRF blog posts with questions in the title, the percentage would be close to 50-50. Well, it could be hard because many blog posts give some "it depends", nuanced answers. My view is that the 50-to-50 ratio of "Yes" and "No" is actually a sign that the author isn't a demagogue. As you could have seen in the media, the LHCb collaboration at the LHC collider has detected a new particle, the "dou...more »

First, all nationalism and tribalism is a functional derivative of childhood education. You are part of your family and your community teaches you that you are part of a greater whole as in tribe or nationality. So changing any of this in the adult world is slow and open to abuses by jingoistic promoters. To change all this globally means a universal educational program and that means the resolution of obvious sources of conflict such as Islam. Add in the desirability of adaptive variability and we are certainly making soup. Can this be optimally guided at all? Of course...more »

We discover the practices of a substantial spiritual community. One presumes this community remained in tact until the modern era and the plausibly dissipated. Thus the maintenance of this body of work. I do strongly suggest reading this description of spiritual practice. Much is promised here and more importantly we gain a different perspective. The item on Amos is clearly in the Levant and the peoples of the old testament are now present. *CHAPTER THREE * *THE BROTHERHOOD * *Brothers in belief, there are two roads through life, the Road of Good and the Road of Evil; th...more »

*Written by Grant G* Writing about politics, bitter pills, buttered words and nuanced nausea....from the soul, I care too much, yell too silent and remember everything.....including what's important, life, all life and its intricate forms... Hummingbirds...last summer I put out a humming bird feeder...North Burnaby, to my amazement within an hour I had my first hummer filling up...red petals and sugar nectar and what show stoppers they are, aerobatic displays tease my senses....3 hummingbird feeders later, now 4 feeders hanging, one on each corner of the house.. Last winter, our ...more »

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with China's President Xi Jinping during the BRICS leaders' meeting in October 2016. (AFP File Photo) *Bloomberg:* *Himalayan Stand-Off Makes for an Awkward G-20 for Xi and Modi* * Xi and Modi will meet at BRICS event on sidelines of G-20 * Comes amid renewal of tensions over their disputed border Things could get a little awkward when Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi see each other on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Germany. Far from the plush leaders events in Hamburg, China and India are facing the resu...more »

For the second time in as many months, legislative Republicans have turned on their Republican governor for his refusal to back tax increases to help balance the budget. Last month, supermajority Kansas Republicans revolted against Sam Brownback's six-year tax-cutting experiment, which brought the state persistent budget problems and two credit downgrades. Tonight (July 6) enough Republicans joined with the majority House Democrats to override Bruce Rauner's veto of the Illinois budget (the Senate overrode on July 4 with one Republican vote), ending a two-year battle. Like Kansas, I...more »

*Trump, Epstein and model Ingrid Seynhaeve.* What about Donald Trump's friend Jeffrey Epstein? The writer Taki Theodoracopulos appears to hint that Jeffrey Epstein's group may be bisexual. In an article on Jeffrey Epstein, Taki writes: "Students of Ancient Greece might pick up the signals: *very young boys resemble very young girls*, but if you need more details all you have to do is pick up professor Dover’s classic, ''Greek Homosexuality''. Jeffrey Epstein, Pervert - Taki's Magazine . *Jeffrey Epstein likes boys?* Maximilia Cordero had a lawsuit claiming 'she' had engaged in ...more »

Published on Jul 6, 2017 Emmanuel Macron is a former Rothschild banker turned president of France…He recently declared that he desires to reign as a “Jupitarian” president like the Roman god of gods…And now he wants to make vaccines mandatory in France by 2018 so in this video Dan Dicks of Press For Truth peels […]

Israeli Rabbi Asks Settlers to Poison Palestinian Water by http://www.daysofpalestine.com/ Days of Palestine, West Bank -Israeli Jewish Rabbi Shlomo Mlma asked on Sunday Israeli Jewish settlers to poison Palestinian water resources in order to kill them. – Mlma, the chairman of the Council of Rabbis in the West Bank settlements, asked the settlers to do so […]

CNN’s Ratings Collapse As Primetime Shows Draw Less Viewers Than Re-Runs Of “Yogi Bear” by Tyler Durden, http://www.zerohedge.com A series of fake news articles (see here, here and here), black mail of anonymous Reddit userswho had the audacity to poke fun at them and a couple of undercover videos from Project Veritas revealing CNN producers admitting their own news is “mostly bullshit,” […]

Published on Jul 6, 2017 On Monday, Leo Zagami joined Infowars live to provide intelligence straight from Italy on the gay, cocaine-fueled orgy at the Vatican, and now the MSM has been forced to cover the story as well. end

Published on Jul 6, 2017 The US government played a part in producing more than 800 major films and 1,000 TV shows from the 1950’s through the present, according to over 4,000 pages of documents a watchdog group obtained. RT America’s Natasha Sweatte has more on the cooperation between the nation’s media and political capitals. […]

Published on Jul 6, 2017 The internet community is turning off CNN after the news channel said it might disclose the identity of the alleged creator of the viral meme featuring Donald Trump wrestling that logo. RT spoke with the moderator of the Reddit website for more info. end

[image: Handle your plugs like this] The one thing that we did that made a difference was to first dehydrate to the wilt stage before we transplanted. Then the night before we soaked them This hardened up tender tomatoes in particular and we almost never lost any. It is all about a lot of simple things and this item captures that completely. And all that was with no plugs to work with.And yes it is always fussy. *How We Transplant Vegetable Plugs * *5/7/2014 9:22:00 AM* *By The Natural Gardening Company* * Tags: spring, transplanting seedlings, California, The Natur...more »

This is well before any publicity and thus interesting. The only plausible explanation for this is disguised aliens working with our won agencies. If it were us, a multitude of better dressage is available and none of it would excite any comment. These folks are accepting an appearance that fully disguises as best as possible and also accepting unwelcome attention as well. that surely means no ready choices. The obvious corollary is that aliens able to adopt a human disguise easily are out there as well ans has also been reported. In fact we have enough idle traffic to ...more »

*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 7/7/2017"* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "North Korea celebrated the Fourth of July with a bang by successfully launching a brand new ICBM. An emergency meeting was called at the UN, and the President said it was “dangerous” and would have to be “dealt with.” The Illinois legislature has overridden the Republican Governor’s veto in that state to pass a spending bill and give its citizens a 32% tax increase. Lawmakers will not cut anything and will only raise taxes. The one thing that might get cut is the bond ratings for Illinois state debt. The ratings age...more »

A combination of file photos showing Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, January 15, 2016 and U.S. President Donald Trump posing for a photo in New York City, U.S., May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Ivan Sekretarev/Pool/Lucas Jackson/File Photos *Spencer Ackerman, Daily Beast:* T*his Is Trump’s Plan to Team Up With Putin in Syria—and Leave Assad in Power* *Trump finally has a Syria strategy. It relies on Russian soldiers and a dictator who Trump said in April had to go.* For once, Rex Tillerson is not freelancing. Late Wednesday, ahead...more »

This Express article http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/824460/Jeremy-Corbyn-Queen-replaced-head-of-state-die-monarchy-royal-family-republican reminds us of a Jeremy Corbyn interview comment from a while ago: 'I think it's time that we just moved on and said, when the Queen completes her reign, wouldn't that be an appropriate time to call it a day and have an elected Head of State' An unbiased news organisation would ask Jeremy Corbyn if that was still his view, and if not what changed his view. It might also ask if his views have changed, might they change again. The BBC won't ask...more »

According to this BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40525277 'There must be no "safe spaces" for terrorist funding in the global financial system, Theresa May will tell a meeting of the G20 on Friday. The UK PM will focus on ways to track small sums of money used to finance "lone wolf" attacks, as well as large transfers, at the summit in Germany.' Odd how the focus, according to the BBC anyway, will be on 'small sums of money used to finance "lone wolf" attacks, as well as large transfers' but there's no mention of Saudi Arabian sponsorship.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:55 A.M.) – A video from a dead Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist’s cell phone was released by the Iraqi Army this week, showing the unnamed militant laughing while opening fire on fleeing civilians in Mosul. According to an Iraqi activist, the ISIL terrorist was laughing and speaking Turkish while he was shooting at […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:20 A.M.) – A ceasefire in southern Syria has been extended for another 48 hours after both the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and opposition forces agreed to the extension. According to a military source in Dara’a, the ceasefire will end at 11:59 P.M. (Damascus Time) on July 8th and could be extended if […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:45 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army’s elite Tiger Forces are gearing up for a new offensive after taking a week off from operations following the liberation the Khanasser Plain. According to a military source, the Tiger Forces have returned to the western countryside of the Al-Raqqa Governorate, where they are expected to […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

*Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker:* *The U.S. Media’s Murky Coverage of Putin and Trump* As James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence, put it, Watergate “pales” in comparison to the current political scandal surrounding the White House. For the past six months, the U.S. media has followed the story of Russia’s interference in the 2016 Presidential election—and the question of possible collusion between figures close to Donald Trump and the Kremlin—with vigor, intensity, and the deployment of an extraordinary amount of newsroom resources. In advance of Trump and Putin’s f...more »

*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* Members of the Iraqi army run away from a suspected ISIS Chlorine attack (Al Jazeera) *WNU Editor:* The above picture is from this photo gallery .... *The final push: Retaking Mosul from ISIL* (Al Jazeera).

“Some psychiatric leaders who were instrumental in removing homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders in 1973 have been fighting to remove pedophilia as a disorder as well, not to justify the abuse of children but rather to say that being sexually attracted to children is not a mental disorder.” Michael L. Brown, author of *A Queer Thing Happened to America* The first chapter of this book alluded to how the psychiatric field utilized its latest edition of the DSM “bible” to attempt to normalize raping children, initially calling pedophilia...more »

[image: in-poland-trump-cites-faith-as-key-to-ending-wicked-communism] During his stop in Poland this week ahead of the G-20 summit, President Donald Trump slammed communism as a “cruel” and “wicked” system that sought to crush the Polish people's freedom, faith, history, identity, and even humanity. But despite the murderous tyranny that enslaved the nation for so long, Trump said the communist butchers were unable to crush their faith in God — and that crying out to Him was ultimately the key to restoring freedom in Poland.

*The Guardian:* *Qatar crisis: four Arab states vow fresh economic and political sanctions* Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain says initial list of 13 demands would be replaced with fresh measures The four Arab states leading the boycott against Qatar said late on Thursday that Doha’s refusal of their demands to resolve a Gulf diplomatic crisis was proof of its links to terrorist groups and that they would enact new measures against it. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain released a joint statement carried by their state media saying ...more »

*-by Helen Klein* As Rachel Maddow says, the news delivers a new bombshell every day, and it’s hard to keep up. Last week’s explosive revelation concerned Peter W. Smith and his role in potential Russia-Trump collusion during the campaign. Shane Harris interviewed Smith for the *Wall Street Journal* and soon after, Smith suddenly turned up dead. So far, no one knows how. Here is a brief refresher on who Peter W. Smith is, or was, and why he has come into prominence in the Trump-Russia affair. Last week, the *WSJ* had a shocking expose by Shane Harris revealing efforts by a Repub...more »

*ABC News: **Trump, Putin set for high-stakes 1st meeting* President Trump and members of his national security team will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow at the G-20 summit in Germany, in what is sure to be a high-stakes first meeting between the two leaders. An administration official told ABC News that the only attendees for the meeting will be Trump, Putin, Secretary of State Tillerson, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and two translators and it is expected to last just over 30 minutes. *Read more* .... *WNU Editor:* I like the summary that Zero Hedge provid...more »

Despite fears that international students might stay away from the U.S. because of President Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban, which has been partially permitted pending Supreme Court review, that doesn’t appear to be happening this fall, a new survey has found.

City College of New York and the University of Texas at El Paso have joined forces in an effort to increase the number of Hispanic faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs at higher education institutions.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A conservative nonprofit student group at a community college in southeastern Michigan has sued the school, saying its policy of requiring permission for public speech violates members’ First Amendment rights. Attorneys representing Turning Point USA say the Macomb Community College chapter is challenging the school’s expressive activity policy in a federal […]

RALEIGH, N.C. — A committee studying alternative paths for a University of North Carolina center that offers legal help to the poor found no options that would allow the center to continue the full breadth of its work while also satisfying conservatives who oppose how it operates. The committee appointed by the chancellor of the […]

OWINGS MILL, Md. — Again and again, college financial aid offices would frustrate Jan Wagner and Michele Waxman Johnson. As executives of Central Scholarship, a nonprofit in Owings Mills that provides scholarships and interest-free loans to Maryland students, they would award a student money and a university would reduce that student’s financial aid by the […]

Background When first investigating the global warming/climate change issue (beginning around the Copenhagen COP in 2008), my interest arose from reading various claims repeated ad nauseum without any other viewpoints expressed. Searching on the web revealed that indeed other researchers had different, sometimes nuanced and sometime outright contradictory findings. In 2015 while signing up on […]

*AFP/Al Arabiya*:* US plans to explore possibility of joint work with Russia on Syria* The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington plans to explore the possibility of joint mechanisms with Russia to secure stability in Syria during talks this week. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday Moscow was seeking to clarify a claim by his US counterpart that Washington is ready to work together to set up “no-fly zones” in Syria. “We have asked, but we haven't got an answer to the question of what no-fly zones are envisioned because there has never be...more »

In June, the Senate tried to block a US$500 million arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Saudi intervention in Yemen’s civil war has produced high numbers of civilian casualties, human rights abuses and a humanitarian crisis. The White House’s decision to sell arms to the Saudis is just one indication that the Trump administration may be downgrading U.S. support for human rights. In May, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggested that only in some cases should the United States “condition” its policy based on how countries “treat people.” The congressional effort to stop the Saudi deal w...more »

As Donald Trump began speaking in Warsaw at noon on July 6, I was sitting in my apartment a few blocks away. Police helicopters kept buzzing past my building, and nearly all the main streets were blocked off. A government-sponsored “picnic” was being staged in a field near the National Stadium to celebrate Trump’s visit, and supporters of the ruling party had been bused in. That sort of artificial display of enthusiasm is necessary because Trump is definitely not popular here. This visit has sparked familiar stories about Poland being the most pro-American country in Europe. CNN...more »

*Ethan Smith* - Initiating change is actually quite easy for individuals, it is the fear of change we find most difficult. The post Nuclear Experimentation – Collectivism Over Common Sense appeared first on Waking Times.

Neil H, “Beyond The Storm Into Light” "Echoes from the Mist" was inspired by dreams and journeys, past and future – to move on and create your own destiny in life. The album contains ten songs each with its own story, journey and connection, using natural sounds of bird life, wind through the trees and thunder storms. Instrument samples include flute, piano, guitar, strings and choir. "Echoes from the Mist" is a restful and inspirational album." - https://www.youtube.com/

AWKWARD!So this is the photo making the rounds from Trump's meeting with Merkel today. I am not sure why they both appear surprised. (Maybe Trump thought he was grabbing something else.) You can see in this video that Merkel had to work several moments to get Trump to take her hand. As it turns out this is a meeting that almost did not happen due to a completely dysfunction White House. Courtesy of Buzzfeed: *White House officials apparently waited too long to book accommodations for President Trump, leaving him without a hotel in Hamburg, Germany, as world leaders converge for...more »

*Matthew Moss, Task and Purpose* *Security, * Despite its popularity, it didn’t make the cut. A newly released report just shed light on why Glock lost its protest against Sig Sauer, providing fresh insight into the U.S. Army’s selection for the Modular Handgun System contract. According to the report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Glock lodged its protest Feb. 24, citing three main reasons: U.S. Army Material Command did not properly evaluate its proposal; the second downselect phase of the testing program was not carried out; and finally, Sig Sauer’s XM17 entr...more »

*Dave Majumdar* *Security, * What would Tom Clancy think? If China’s rim-driven pumpjet propulsion technology works, it would be a significant advance for the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s undersea force. In a recent article that appeared in the *South China Morning Post*, Beijing claims to have developed such a silent propulsion system—which some have compared to the so-called caterpillar-drive in Tom Clancy’s *Hunt for Red October*. With vastly improved acoustical performance, a new generation of advanced Chinese nuclear attack submarines (SSNs) could add another dimension ...more »

*Dave Majumdar* *Security, Middle East* Ultimately, it will be the Assad regime and the various other proxy forces—both U.S. and Russian aligned—that will determine if the two great powers can work together. The United States is willing to work jointly with Russia to conduct stability operations in a post-ISIS Syria. Those stability measures could include jointly monitored no-fly zones and cease-fire observation missions. But exactly how such arrangements might be implemented are likely to be the subject of intense negotiations—and could be derailed by wayward proxies on the gro...more »

*Raymond Tanter, Edward Stafford* *Security, Middle East* [image: Donald Trump speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.​ Flickr / Gage Skidmore] The president should follow up on his rhetoric and recommit to the region. On July 3, 2017, a group of Arab nations extended the deadline for Qatar to respond to their list of demands in a diplomatic crisis roiling the Gulf by forty-eight hours. It said Kuwait’s emir requested the delay as part of his efforts to mediate the dispute. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and...more »

*Milton Ezrati* *Economics, Europe* [image: Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at the European Union (EU) council headquarters for an EU leaders summit discussing the EU's long-term budget in Brussels November 23, 2012. Prospects of a deal on the EU's long-term budget dimmed on Friday after a fresh compromise proposal offered concessions to France and Poland but ignored British and German demands for deeper overall spending cuts. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir] Germany is largely to blame for it. Donald Trump, for all his rhetorical clumsiness and intellectual limitations, stil...more »

*David Martí* *Politics, Europe* [image: A man flies a] America and the EU should play a more active role in helping Catalonia and Spain negotiate a democratic solution. These are uncertain times for the European Union. The economic and political consequences of Brexit are still unforeseen. The rise of far-right populist parties in several countries—even if contained, as France most recently has shown—is normalizing extremism in political discourse. Secessionism is another reason of uncertainty. Scottish nationalists lost the independence referendum in 2014, when 55 percent of vo...more »

*Samuel Rines* *Economics, Americas* [image: A magazine cut-out of a toilet roll made up of paper money, is taped to a screen of a trading terminal at the German stock exchange in Frankfurt, June 3, 2009. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach] These useful bubbles keep the United States competitive globally. Economic bubbles have a bad reputation, and small wonder. It was not so long ago that stock prices were plummeting in the wake of the “tech wreck,” and the U.S. economy took a decade to recover from the subsequent housing bubble. Recent bubbles have come with high-profile human costs, such...more »

*Nikolay Pakhomov* *Security, Europe* [image: Valves and pipelines are pictured at the Gaz-System gas distribution station in Gustorzyn, central Poland, September 12, 2014. Poland resumed natural gas deliveries to Ukraine on Friday after receiving a pledge that Russia's Gazprom would deliver requested supplies to Polish state-run gas importer PGNiG. REUTERS/Wojciech Kardas/Agencja Gazeta] Russian gas will inevitably remain part of the mix in Europe’s future energy market. A reinvigorated discussion of Russia’s energy policy in Europe has recently become part of the debate in Was...more »

Published on Jul 5, 2017 From child sex trafficking inside Buckingham Palace to the assassination of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997, the British Royal family has long been the center of deep rooted corruption, and as many have argued, Satanism. – Jay Myers is back to discuss his new documentary ‘How To Murder A […]

BREAKING: CNN May Have Targeted The WRONG Meme Creator Over Trump’s WWE Tweet by BEN SHAPIRO, http://www.dailywire.com/ So, after nearly a full day of promoting a story labeling the redoubtable Reddit meme generator HanA**holeSolo the source of President Trump’s WWE vs. CNN logo wrestling gif, it turns out that CNN may have botched the story. HanA**holeSolo apologized for his […]

This chilling quote spotted in Zero Hedge two days ago: In Australia, according to judges, women and children must accept sexual assaults because it is part of the “Islamic culture” of their attackers. It would seem that in parts of … Continue reading →

(TASS) MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Russia is satisfied with the course of the Astana process on Syria. Another round of talks that ended on Wednesday made it possible to take yet another step towards reaching an agreement on the de-escalation zones, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. “Over the past two months, […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:50 A.M.) – Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the importance of developing modern weapons for use in defence and anti-terrorist operations, at a meeting with the Commission for Military and Technical Cooperation in Moscow, Thursday. Putin referred to Russia’s latest Kh-101 cruise missiles, used recently in Syria against militant targets, highlighting the weapon’s […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

DAMASCUS, SYRIA – A few days after the launch of the east Hama offensive, the Desert Hawks have begun picking the fruit of their labor capturing a dozen points, hilltops, and villages. With the most recent capture of Jabal Maksar and Aksar Al-Janubi villages, ISIS’s main line of defense south of the Sheikh Hilel – […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Study Finds Temperature Adjustments Account For ‘Nearly All Of The Warming’ In Climate Data A new study found adjustments made to global surface temperature readings by scientists in recent years “are totally inconsistent with published and credible U.S. and other temperature data.”…The new study doesn’t question the adjustments themselves but notes nearly all of them … Continue reading "More Evidence Congress Needs to Investigate the Field of Climate “Science”"

*Dr Judy Ryan* Dear Citizens of Australia and Elsewhere, As shown in subject line of this email, the evidence indicates that there is a biased ideology in Australia’s Education system, both at State and Federal level. It is preventing the dissemination of knowledge and stifling enquiry based learning. The perpetrators of what seems to be a deliberate dumbing down of the curriculum in Australia must be exposed and held accountable. In my humble opinion they are either complicit to what appears to be criminal activity by the UN or they are being used as useful idiots for the evil gl...more »

*New York Times: **A Libyan Commander Says His Forces Have Taken Benghazi* CAIRO — After three years of sporadic combat, the fighting is over in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, at least for now. The city erupted in jubilation late Wednesday after the commander of a militia in the area, Gen. Khalifa Hifter, announced on television that his forces had vanquished the Islamist fighters they had been battling in Benghazi for the past three years. Wearing military-style regalia, General Hifter said that all that remained was to clear battle-scarred neighborhoods of land mines and...more »

*BuzzFeed:* *President Trump Apparently Couldn't Find A Hotel To Book For The G20 Summit* *He is one of the most powerful people in the world. He is coming to the meeting of 20 powerful countries. And he has a problem: no hotel room for the G20.* White House officials apparently waited too long to book accommodations for President Trump, leaving him without a hotel in Hamburg, Germany, as world leaders converge for the G20 summit. Organizers announced the scheduled summit in February 2016, which requires 9,000 hotel rooms to accommodate world leaders, their sizable staffs, and se...more »

"What if you could go right into a cluster where stars are forming? A one-minute, time-lapse, video visualization of just this has been made with 3D computer modeling of the region surrounding the star cluster Westerlund 2, based on images from the Hubble Space Telescope in visible and infrared light. Westerlund 2 spans about 10 light years across and lies about 20,000 light years distant toward the constellation of the Ship's Keel (Carina). As the illustrative animation begins, the greater Gum 29 nebula fills the screen, with the young cluster of bright stars visible in the center. ...more »

*"As It Is, So Are We”* by Zen Gardner "Mankind is an experiment. No experiment can go wrong as they are simply experiments. We exist in a conscious universe, one of innumerable coexisting universes. Since the creative universe is conscious we know intention is involved. A sequence of choices or agreements were made of some fashion to bring this world and our habitation of it into being. This includes our own willing agreement since we too are fractals of eternal consciousness in a loving Universe. The experiment on our planet and perhaps others in our Universe is to see what woul...more »

*“We Wear The Mask”* “We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,- This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!” - Paul Laurence Dunbar

On July 4 *NY Times* in house conservative establishment guy, David Brooks, penned another of his what's wrong with Republicans? pieces. Short version: Trump is Satan and congressional Republicans, for a variety of horrifying reasons, won't stand up to him. And look what they're doing to working class voters, which Brooks, identified as a "core Republican constituency." He wants to know why "working-class conservatives seem to vote so often against their own economic interests." Drunkenness? Really? My stab at an answer would begin in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many Trump suppo...more »

*BBC*:* G20: Hamburg sees clashes between police and protesters* Seventy-six police officers have been injured in clashes with protesters in Germany's city of Hamburg, where a G20 summit starts shortly. Three officers were taken to hospital, police said. There were also reports of injuries among protesters. The clashes began when police charged at masked protesters at a "Welcome to hell" march attended by 12,000 people. World leaders - including US President Donald Trump - will discuss climate change, trade and other major issues. Police fired water cannon and pepper spray at mas...more »

*Eli Lake, Bloomberg: **Negotiations Won't Stop North Korea From Getting a Nuke* Pyongyang has given the U.S. two options: acquiescence or war. When North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile this week -- what its boy tyrant called a "gift to the American bastards" -- the response from the Trump administration was fairly conventional. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson correctly called it an escalation. He announced America's intention to bring the matter before the U.N. Security Council. And he assured, "We will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea." If that soun...more »

[image: beleaguered-by-truth-cnn-may-be-digging-its-own-grave] As if it weren’t enough that a series of hidden camera videos show that CNN deliberately creates fake news and has nothing but contempt for both President Trump and American voters, the liberal news network’s reaction to a (probably) tasteless but (certainly) harmless video meme of Trump punching CNN in the face has caused the beleaguered network even more trouble.

*"World War Three or Civil War?"* by Tesseract "You don’t have to dig very deep into the American psyche to notice that hostilities are boiling up to a dangerous level. With mainstream media’s almost 24/7 coverage of possible collusion between Trump and Russia, many Americans are beginning to view a nuclear superpower as their enemy. I don’t believe the collusion exists, but sometimes people’s opinions have a more powerful effect on the world than what is true. Furthermore, the divide between the left and right in the US seems like one violent moment away from breaking out into all...more »

Indigenous journalist Myron Dewey, known for his drone footage documenting DAPL resistance, will go on trial next week in North Dakota. The post Indigenous Journalist Faces Trial For Flying Drone To Document DAPL Construction appeared first on Shadowproof.

*Daily Mail:** 'Welcome to hell': G20 protesters start fires after riot police hit them with water cannons and pepper sprays in clashes ahead of Hamburg summit* * Around 100,000 protesters from across Europe are pouring into Hamburg ahead of G20 summit tomorrow * German police in armoured vans sprayed some of the hardcore anti-capitalists with water and pepper spray * They feared as many as 8,000 were ready to commit violence at the protest dubbed 'Welcome To Hell' * Police are also investigating whether an overnight fire at a Porsche dealership was linked to the summit * Host Chan...more »

Last time fund-raising numbers were released from the federal NDP's leadership campaign, I noted the possible significance of Peter Julian's relative lack of donations. And the problem looked to be a double whammy for Julian: while any candidate would have reason for concern in not being able to fund a campaign as intended, it was especially problematic for a candidate whose brand included organizational superiority. Today, Julian cited fund-raising as the main issue in departing from the race - presumably meaning he'd run through another quarter of disappointment. And the race wil...more »

Known as the Navajo Horse Whisperer, Begaye rejects modern training strategies that rely on dominance and force, choosing instead to return to traditional practices. A lifelong horseman, he learned his gentle ways from his mother, Glenabah Begaye, who herded sheep from horseback. As a toddler, Begaye sat behind his mother as they rode through Steamboat Canyon, a V-shaped crevice near their home on the Navajo Nation. As they traveled, Glenabah sang softly in Navajo. “I remember putting my arms around her waist with my ear pressed against her back,” Begaye said. “I could hear her ...more »

I know I've used this image before, but come on it's so perfect. Courtesy of Vox: *US intelligence officials are trying to prepare President Trump for his high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday by feeding him information the only way they know how: in bite-size 140-character pieces. * *It’s a well-reported fact that Trump doesn’t read his daily briefings and prefers “killer graphics” like pictures, videos, and charts, or in-person briefings. Trump aides have come up with some creative ways to keep the president focused — such as mentioning his name as fr...more »

Maine's angry-drunk-at-the-end-of-the-bar governor reminds us again that he hates the press: Gov. Paul LePage lashed out at the media for reporting he planned to leave the state during a budget impasse, and he suggested he sometimes concocts stories to mislead reporters. The Republican governor also characterized the state media as “vile,” ″inaccurate” and “useless.” “I just love to sit in my office and make up ways so they’ll write these stupid stories because they are just so stupid, it’s awful,” he told WGAN-AM on Thursday.... But he seems to believe his great foe will wither a...more »

Many are trying to make sense of the Trumpist Revolution, seeking to decipher some pattern or plan, under all the chaos. And like those blind, wise men fondling different parts of an elephant, smart people are yelling “aha!” and proclaiming they have it sussed. Take this theory by Michael Klare, on Salon: Is Trump launching a New World Order? *“Domestically**, he’s pulled out all the stops in attempting to cripple the rise of alternative energy and ensure the perpetuation of a carbon-dominated economy. Abroad, he is seeking the formation of an alliance of fossil-fuel states led by...more »

*Noelle Swan, CSM*:* North Korea missile test: How big a technological breakthrough?* *North Korea's missile test on Tuesday suggests the rogue nation may have dramatically expanded its missile range. They can't yet reach the continental United States, but doing so is only a matter of time, defense experts say*. Tensions mounted in Asia and around the world Wednesday as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed that Tuesday’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch was just the first of many “big and small ‘gift packages’ to the Yankees.” Tuesday’s launch, North Korea’s most adv...more »

*Andrew Malcolm, Hot Air:* *Shock Report: Trump’s Tough Trade Talk Is Working* As the G-20 summit gets underway in Germany, a shocking study out of Britain suggests — are you sitting down? — President Trump’s aggressive statements on trade may actually be working to the benefit of the United States. Stay with us because you probably won’t see much about this White House success elsewhere. Critics have long suggested that Trump’s bluntness would alienate trade partners or, worse, even ignite trade wars. True, some like Germany are not happy. But the Center for Economic Policy Res...more »

If you are invested in any way in the vaccine debate, you’ll want to catch the video below (please follow the link or copy and paste it into a browser as Youtube wouldn’t let us embed the video) and watch Del Bigtree, producer of “Vaxxed: From Catastrophe to Cover- Up” debate John Oliver (we recently

[image: chicago-bloody-fourth-of-july-weekend-despite-restrictive-gun-control] Chicago continues to disprove the theory that strict gun laws mean less gun-related crimes after a bloody Fourth of July weekend.

[image: supreme-court-to-hear-wisconsin-gerrymander-case] The effort by the Wisconsin Democratic Party to change the concept of single-member voting districts is, at its root, an effort to make us a parliamentary system like the United Kingdom.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:05 P.M.) – By far the pro-government offensive, led by the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) Republican Guard, to pinch out the militant-held bastion of Jobar is the largest of all the Rif Dimashq operations. The expenditure of heavy firepower munitions by both sides is immense and some battle-related sound – be it the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (10:30 P.M.) – On Wednesday, nine Syrian fighters who used to be loyal to the Turkish Army changed sides in northern Aleppo and joined the Manbij Military Council (MMC) instead, an affiliate of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The defectors, two of whom were child soldiers, explained they joined Euphrates Shield (Turkish […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

*Paul R. Pillar* *Syria Russia, Middle East* It appears that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is trying to follow the sound advice of Ted Galen Carpenter in letting Russia take primary responsibility for handling the tar baby known as Syria. Tillerson reportedly told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad rests with his principal foreign backer, Russia, and that the United States involvement in Syria is focused just on defeat of the so-called Islamic State or ISIS. Of course, even if this reporting accurately reflects Ti...more »

You can't imagine how absolutely horrible the DCCC is, from top to bottom. The corruption that defines the institution alone makes it next to impossible to wish them well. And their incompetence-- and inability to learn from mistakes-- are even worse than their corruption. But I do have to give them credit for something: they've figured out exactly why people should support them: "the other guys" are worse. And that's really the heart of the DCCC strategy: persuading people that as bad as they are, the Republicans are even worse. Which is true. The DCCC deserves an "F" but the NRC...more »

*THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017Though also, he gets it wrong:* We couldn't resist the headline at the Washington Post. "The dumbest criticism of single payer health care," it said. Helplessly, we clicked. When we got there, Paul Waldman did something journalists never do. He battered two major journalists, *by name,* for making a dumb presentation. Needless to say, the hapless pair were on-air at CNN. They'd made a dumb presentation about the alleged cost of adopting a "single payer" health care system. Their names? John Berman and Poppy Harlow. If you read the Waldman post, you'll see...more »

﻿ It’s fascinating to explore the deeper roots of our family tree. They reveal a lot about the path that led us to today. *Homo sapiens*emerged in Africa, somewhere between 300,000 and 130,000 years ago, depending on which expert you read. DNA mapping asserts that the oldest surviving human group is the San people of South Africa and Namibia (also known as Khoisan, Bushmen, or !Kung). Their genes are the closest to the ancient female from whom all living humans descend (Mitochondrial Eve). The San have been hunter-gatherers since the dawn of humankind, enjoying a way of life t...more »

Today, just one day before his long-anticipated meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, President Trump has given a fiery speech in Poland denouncing Russian "meddling" in Ukraine and Russian support for the Syrian government. He also affirmed that the US would "stand firmly behind" NATO's Article 5 on mutual defense. What might this mean for tomorrow's meeting? Tune in to today's Liberty Report:

*Reuters*: *Exclusive: Kurdish YPG militia expects conflict with Turkey in northern Syria* The head of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said on Wednesday that Turkish military deployments near Kurdish-held areas of northwestern Syria amounted to a "declaration of war" which could trigger clashes within days. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus retorted that his country was not declaring war but that its forces would respond to any hostile move by the YPG, which he described as a small-scale army formed by the United States. The mounting tensions between two U.S. allies i...more »

*Asharq Al Awsat*: *Seven US Bases In Syria’s Kurdish Zones* London- Kurdish sources confirmed on Tuesday the presence of seven US military bases and airports in the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) areas, eastern Syria. Commander of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) Sipan Hamo told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US army established military bases, airports and centers in seven locations controlled by the SDF and the YPG, east the Euphrates River, mainly in Kubani, where a large and developed airport was already built. The list also involves two airports in Hasaka,...more »

*DW: **European parliament votes to suspend Turkey EU accession talks* The parliament concluded that Turkey has abandoned the fundamental principles of democracy. The same day, Turkish police detained a group of human rights activists, including Amnesty International's Turkey director. The European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday voted for the suspension of membership talks with Turkey. The vote on the proposal passed by a wide margin, with support from the biggest party groups. Proponents of the measure say Erdogan's crackdown on opposition forces and the media mean Ankara ...more »

A newly-elected disabled MP has accused the Conservative government of introducing policies inspired by “eugenics” in the hope that disabled people will “suffer and die”. Labour’s Jared O’Mara spoke out just weeks after beating former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to win the Sheffield Hallam seat and become one of just a handful of disabled [...]

A watchdog has been criticised for failing to investigate whether disability hate crime played a part in the harassment and abuse suffered by a disabled refugee, who was repeatedly failed by police officers over seven years before being brutally murdered. Bijan Ebrahimi, who was Iranian, repeatedly complained to Avon and Somerset police about victimisation by [...]

The parliamentary authorities should do far more to make the House of Commons accessible, according to a disabled MP who has faced a series of major barriers in his first weeks since being elected. Jared O’Mara, who has cerebral palsy, has had to rely on support from other Sheffield MPs to secure some of the [...]

The two newest disabled MPs in the House of Commons have backed a call for the government to reopen a fund that helped politicians meet the disability-related costs they face when campaigning for election. Labour MPs Marsha de Cordova and Jared O’Mara have both sponsored an early day motion (EDM) which demands that the government [...]

The concept of personal assistance has been severely damaged by years of austerity and policies that have “degraded” the support mechanisms designed to enable independent living, leading figures in the disability movement have warned. They were speaking at the launch of Personal Assistance Relationships, a research study which highlights how employing personal assistants can be [...]

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I've been 'around' for a few years now, pursuing the shifting goal of a sharable home-made surfers resource site focused on ease of use and variety of mostly adult ( whoa : I didn't say prurient ) content.